GA-GC330UD mini-ITX

[FluX]

I already have the mini-ITX single core version... GA-GC230D and its fantastically low power low heat small size etc
I installed Windows 7 32-bit and everything worked reasonably well, enough that I try making it into a Media Center PC
1GB 533 RAM, 160GB SATA HDD, Slimline slotloader DVD in AKASA Enigma case.... bit of a squeeze, had to remove the fan off the 945 h/sink and put a little one on the side of it (never got hot anyway).
Now I don't know if the drivers were at fault, I suspect they may have been, but I found that video playback was stuttering.
I installed XP MCE and everything seemed fine, a tad slow though.

So.... My next choice is the GA-GC330UD....  Same as what I have, but dual-core atom vs the single in mine.

Want I want to know is, will it come with Windows 7 drivers? and will 2GB (max allowed) make much of a difference?

[chupo]

First of all, install a x64 windows to use your CPU's full potential (you will need it), because GMA950 has no support for any type of h264/x264, so the cpu does all the work. For drivers, download the latest ones from Intel and Realtek website.....

[FluX]

Yeah I was going to try a 64-bit version of both XP and Win7 as I knew the cpu was EM64T.
As for h264, I had no intentions of HD playback as yet, as I read a review/comparison of 5 different mini-itx atom boards on the mini-tx.com website, and it said they all struggled with it.
Mind if HD did work that'd be a bonus!!

[Badbonji]

The only pc with an atom cpu that supports HD playback AFAIK is the ion platform, where it has a 9400 gpu for video playback / light gaming.
Check cpu usage whilst playing, if it is 100% constantly then it is probably the cpu causing the stuttering.

[FluX]

The stuttering was only occuring in Win7, thats why I thought it would be driver issue. It was just standard XviD playback, and std def tv playback when it was occuring, not HD.

[Badbonji]

Is it upgradable at all? Does cpu usage max out or Ram during the playback? Might see if you can get that dual core atom in there, will feel snappier. OS's tend to prefer 2Gb nowadays, even for the simpler stuff, it isn't too expensive either anymore if your board has a spare slot.

[FluX]

Unfortunately its not upgradeable, but at £50 -£70 (guestimate) for the motherboard (and CPU soldered in), I'm not complaining

The cpu and RAM were getting a good workout, But I'm only ever running one application, although it is a media center type application, so it involves picture viewers, media players, decoders, recording to hdd, etc.

So anyway, Intel already have a version of the GC330 out, so I was going to get one of those, but now Gigabyte have released their's, I'm just waiting til the first ones start filtering thru the distribution chain, and get myself one.

Oh and BTW, there is only one memory slot, and it supports a maximum of 2GB DDR 533/667. Which is unfortunate, as you are unable to take advantage of Dual Channel configuration.

[Beekeeper]

don't worry as Dual Channel advantages in reality is nearly pure marketing

[RuiPereira]

The GC330UD is actually a good board, but unfortunately due to the Intel chipset (954G) limitation, HDMI is not onboard.
You can add a low-profile VGA, like the GV-R435OC-512I
This is the Radeon HD 4350 (O/C) 512MB with Native HDMI / DVI and DX10.1.
You still limited, but it beats the Intel onboard VGA in performance and adds good value to the board.

We had the GC330UD on show (Channel Expo ’09) and it was performing very well.
Windows picks up 4-core (2x Physical + 2x Virtual), very impressive. 

[FluX]

Well the case I have won't allow me to put any vertical cards in, or even with a PCI riser, so I'm stuck with the 945, which really is ok for the application.
But apart from that, the GC330UD only has a PCI expansion slot, the card you mention is PCI express?

[chupo]

You cannot install a dedicated GPU on Atom platform, but I guess that G945 is fine as long as you don't do heavy gaming. It will run most older games just fine. As for video playback, the atom platform "should" handle MPEG2/4 fine.

[FluX]

You cannot install a dedicated GPU on Atom platform, but I guess that G945 is fine as long as you don't do heavy gaming. It will run most older games just fine. As for video playback, the atom platform "should" handle MPEG2/4 fine.

you sure chupo?

How about this...IONITX-A